Superbowl Chili Soup PDF Print E-mail
Written by Robert Bickford   
Tuesday, 10 February 2009 00:00
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Sport in North American culture is a great place to critique popular images of men and masculinity. Recently, the Superbowl took place and it got me thinking about the types of masculinity we see in commercials. First it is worth considering the immensity of the Superbowl as a media event.

There is so much talk among non-fans leading up to this unofficial holiday. I don't hear near as much talk about Martin Luther King Day which is a real holiday in January. The Superbowl is the biggest sporting event most enjoyed by typically non-sport watching people.

I was actually born on this day, a fact which ends up being of more interest to people than I'm comfortable with. People don't ask me what my birth weight was but who won the game(San Francisco 49ers). They don't ask me how the delivery went for my mother, they ask me who was the MVP (Joe Montana). The story of my coming into the world is overshadowed by my family doctor who had to leave the game and rush across town to catch me. "So he missed the game?" people ask. "I'm not sure. I guess" I respond.

It makes sense it is such a media circus. About 100 million Americans watch the Superbowl. 30 seconds of commercial time costs 3 million bucks. Advertisers with cash to burn line up for these spots.

Men in these commercials are cast in so many different types of roles: the screaming mindless sports fan (Tostitos), the intelligent mutual fund investor (E-Trade), the very heterosexual beer drinker who fantasizes of women in bikinis on ski slopes (Coors), and the polar bear daddy (Coke). This year, one ad featured a couple football players dancing the 'Swan Lake' re-entitled 'Lizard Lake' for SoBe energy drinks.



These types of ads are most interesting to me because the makers of the commercials believe they are showing a subversive image of masculinity, such as a football player ballet dancing. Are these images really subversive or shocking?

Chunky Soup has similar 'subversive' ads that feature football players hugging their mothers or being around their grandmothers "Jerome, did you eat your Chunky Soup?" Is hanging with your mother really subversive or shocking?



What is more shocking is that somehow its supposed to make sense that mothers or grandmothers are helping advertise canned soup. "Nobody opens up a can of soup like you can Mom. Mmmm, nothin' beats that homegrown aluminum can flavour."

So in honour of real food and cooking experiences, here's the recipe for Rob's Superbowl Damn the Man Chili:

1) Fry some onions and garlic until soft, with chili powder, cumin, and paprika, then water.
2) Watch a bit of football and a bit of commercials. Then change the channel to see if its going to be a new Desperate Housewives episode.
3) Add pinto beans, lots of mushrooms, green pepper, crushed tomatoes and let simmer.
4) Watch Bruce Springsteen's half time show and think about masculinity.
5) Stir in a bit of tomato paste, and tobasco, then simmer to perfection.
6) Channel surf trying to make sure you don't miss exciting parts of the game. Think about Bruce Springsteen and masculinity again.

In my back and forth fussing with my chili, I missed a lot of the game, but the meal was more of a celebration to me, so take that NBC, NFL, Superbowl XXLMV11, and Chunky Soup...and Tim Horton's. And please feel free to use my recipe, its not trademarked.

*****

Rob is a teacher, writer, and aspiring chef-at-home living and working in downtown Toronto.
Last Updated on Friday, 13 February 2009 14:09
 
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